Fire Marshall To Retire, May Start Consulting * Allentown's Joseph D'annibale Is Disappointed He Wasn't Considered For Top Posts.

March 29, 1999|by KEITH HERBERT, The Morning Call

Joseph P. D'Annibale's first day as Allentown fire marshal is hard to forget.

He investigated an arson by Dennis Counterman, who set the fire in his family's Chestnut Street home that killed his three children and burned his wife over 50 percent of her body.

That was July 24, 1988. After more than a decade as fire marshal and a quarter century as a city firefighter, D'Annibale will retire April 9. He will leave the department at 48 with the rank of deputy chief.

"The first priority is some work around the house that has been hanging for years," D'Annibale said.

But the future will hold more than cleaning the garage and installing new windows at his South Allentown home. Exactly what he'll pursue is uncertain.

"There is some work with insurance companies," D'Annibale said. "I wouldn't mind working in the code enforcement field, in the area of prevention, not so much fire investigation."

D'Annibale figures there would be a market for a consultant who could advise builders and developers on what will pass the fire inspector's walk-through before a project starts.

There are other options. D'Annibale has a bachelor of science degree in secondary education.

"I had kicked around going back to teaching," said D'Annibale, who followed in his father's footsteps when he joined the Allentown Fire Department in 1974.

D'Annibale's is the second top fire official to announce retirement plans in recent weeks. Chief David F. Novosat retired early this month after 34 years with the department, the last 10 as fire chief. Mayor William Heydt promoted Assistant Chief Brian Mickley to replace Novosat.

With Novosat's retirement, D'Annibale said he has more experience than any other chief officer. He expressed disappointment that he wasn't interviewed for the chief or assistant chief position.

"I found out about the promotions sitting on a plane at Lehigh Valley International Airport and picked up a paper," D'Annibale said. "I had expressed interest through Dave. I had expressed interest in (assistant chief) before. If a promotion was offered, I probably wouldn't be retiring."

Mayor William Heydt said his choice to replace Novosat came with a recommendation from Novosat. "I got a couple of people interested in the chief's job," Heydt said. "I only interviewed one, the assistant chief that ended up getting the job."

The new fire chief picks the assistant chief. Mickley picked Capt. Craig Long as his assistant chief, Heydt said.

D'Annibale did "a good job" as fire inspector, Heydt said.

One thing D'Annibale won't miss about being fire marshal is having a pager that goes off in the middle of the night.

"I`ll be glad to get rid of it," he said.

A father of four, ages 25 to 13, D'Annibale will miss his colleagues saying "Hi, boss," or "Hello, chief," in the hallway or on the phone.

"It's a sign of respect," D'Annibale said. "It's nice. I can't get my wife to do that at home."